However, he seems to have motivated some cat haters to take real action and it is causing trouble in the community. Some genuine cat haters are killing cats in traps. The Bay Bush Action group whose objective is to protect “native species in the Opua State Forest” are involved. We are told that they have published pictures on their Facebook page of trapped and killed cats. However, I can’t see any of these pictures. There are plenty of dead possums and rats but no cats. They say that feeding a colony of cats next to a wildlife reserve is madness and want it stopped.

The battle ground in this instance is Betty’s cat colony in Paihia, New Zealand, which just happens to be next to the Opua State Forest.

Betty is 86 and a sweet lady who has been feeding her colony of cats for ten years.

The local authorities, Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board, voted to get rid of Betty’s cat colony. Of course Morgan was delighted. Cat Coalition member, Diane O’Connor, described the decision as immoral.

A Facebook page called “Cats to Stay” has been created to counter Morgan’s website. They also have videos. The idea is to unite cat lovers worldwide to protect Betty’s cats and to fight against Dr Morgan’s ideas and the actions of his supporters.

Cats to Stay asked cat lovers to email the council members of the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board. They were bombarded by emails! The major of the community, Wayne Brown, lost his temper and fired an email back at an American supporter of Cats to Stay. He said:

“You are a total dickhead, stop killing Iraqis and Afghans, they are just bird-eating cats and your stupid emails are only guaranteeing that the cats will all end up in Asian rice stews.”

Unpleasant and quite revealing as to his attitude towards Americans, never mind cats.

The truth is that people manage the planet and have an obligation to ensure that we live in harmony with animals wild and domestic. It is also our duty to ensure that animals that we created through our actions, namely, stray cats, are treated well and decently while ensuring that they don’t harm wildlife. At the moment we don’t seem to be creating much harmony.

It is the responsibility of people to care for their cats properly, I agree. But who is “You”? “You” is about 40 million people in the USA and about 6 million in the UK who let their cats go outside. As far as you are concerned all them are crazy. You hate a lot of people don’t you. Then you compound the problem by shooting the innocents, the cats. Why not talk to the people who are responsible?

Also not every cat that is unconfined kills wildlife and why does a cat have less value than a bird or some other animal?

And if all 40 million in America who let their cats out are morons, causing untold damage to wildlife through their cats why doesn’t the government do something about it? Nothing happens so I guess they don’t agree with you that these people are crazy and bad.